Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington was quick to condemn changes announced for the Agricultural Land Reserve and the commission tasked with protecting it, saying the Liberal government is intent on steamrolling the reserve.
"Without consultation, this government has introduced legislation to remove 90 per cent of B.C.'s farmland from the ALC's independent mandate to protect farmland and farming," said Huntington.
Part of its Core Review, the province announced changes last Thursday to the Agricultural Land Commission as well as the Agricultural Land Reserve. The reserve is to be split into two zones: a South Coast zone and one for the northern regions of the province.
It's the northern region that will now be open for development, Huntington said, noting the ALC would be stuffed with government appointees and forced to allow exemptions based on non-agricultural arguments made by developers or municipal politicians.
"This is an Orwellian change, it's deceitful and it's a betrayal of the public trust," Huntington said. "Government says they support protecting farmland, but they tell the ALC to discount its value. This government says they support an independent ALC, yet it is mandating the ALC to do precisely what it was originally created to stop.
"The role of the ALC is to protect agricultural land, and to do so in an independent way that is immune from the short-term pressures that have historically driven land-use decision making in this province."
Farmland advocates have voiced suspicions about the government's intentions, fearing things could be easier for industries, such as the oil and gas sector, to access ALR-protected farmland.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, farmland in the South Coast, Okanagan and Vancouver Island regions will remain unchanged because while those areas comprise only 10 per cent of land in the ALR, they generate 85 per cent of total farm sales.
"We are, however, open to discussing with the ALC, agricultural sector and Union of British Columbia Municipalities whether regulations should be updated to help farmers grow their farm businesses," the ministry stated. "For example, some say the rules around processing what's grown on the land restricts them from actually producing more food. We're open to further conversation because we think this could be good for agriculture and food security."
Noting the other 90 per cent of the ALR only generates 15 per cent of B.C.'s total agricultural sales, the ministry says it's giving the ALC more flexibility to consider non-agricultural home-based businesses that might help farmers subsidize their operations. "The ALC will still have ultimate discretion, but we're open to talking about this common sense approach to helping farmers, particularly in parts of B.C. with shorter growing seasons and where incomes generated off the land sometimes isn't enough to cover the bills."
Noting less than five per cent of B.C.'s total land base is suitable for agriculture and protected in the ALR, the B.C. Food Systems Network said protection for 90 per cent of land currently in the ALR would be weakened.
"This is potentially disastrous: it could leave just one-half of one per cent of B.C.'s land base with the present standard of farmland protection," said Brent Mansfield, the network's co-chair. "That is not enough."
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South Delta farmland remains protected following changes introduced for the Agricultural Land Commission, according to the provincial government.
The province announced last Thursday proposed changes not only for the commission, which reportedly will remain a fully independent tribunal and decision-maker that makes final decisions on specific land uses within the Agricultural Land Reserve, but the ALR as well, which will be split into two zones.
It comes as a result of the government's Core Review of services.
To better recognize the province's regional differences, a new zone has been created that includes South Delta and the rest of the South Coast. For this new zone "where land is in greater demand and there are development and population pressures, ALC decisions will continue to be made on the basis of the original principle of preserving agricultural land."
The other zone will include the Interior, Kootenay and northern regions. For that zone "where growing seasons are shorter and there are lower value crops, ALC decisions will now, in addition to the original principle, include additional considerations to provide farmers with more flexibility to support their farming operations."
Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson, speaking on behalf of Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm, told the Optimist there are no changes for the South Coast zone, other than certain processes will be formalized.
"This formalizes the existing model of the regional panels in terms of decision making. That's an existing process with an existing structure, but what we're doing is formalizing that legislation, making sure those regional panels are fully operational and the decisions are made by the panels for the regions," explained Thomson.
"It doesn't change the legislation at all in that if the (ALC) chair feels if the panels are not operating consistently with the objectives and purposes of the commission, the chair can then elevate those decisions up to the executive, which are the chairs of the panels, and have the decisions either confirmed, varied or changed," he said.
Two years ago, Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington made public that an industrial consortium was behind the optioning of hundreds of acres of prime farmland in her community. Most of the option deals have been renewed. Huntington raised alarm the government was supportive of plans to turn South Delta's farmland into an intermodal yard and logistics park to serve port expansion.
However, Thomson said that's not the case.
"There was lots of speculation the legislation that we were going to bring in would weaken the decision making process, weaken the land commission. What we are saying is that's incorrect," he said. "Under the changes, the ALC will remain a fully independent tribunal decision maker, making the final decisions on land uses within the ALR."
